LED lighting system

ABSTRACT

An LED control system is provided for connection to an LED lighting system via a power line to control the LED lighting system using commands formed by manipulation of frequency and amplitude of a signal transmitted over the power line. The signal may be for example a wave or a sequence of pulses. The signal may be provided in superposition with line power or the line power may be formed as the signal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.15/341,825, filed Nov. 2, 2016, which is a continuation of applicationSer. No. 14/445,002, filed Jul. 28, 2014, which is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 14/113,208, filed Jan. 8,2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,179,513, which is the National Stage ofInternational Application No. PCT/CA2012/050251, filed Apr. 19, 2012,which claims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 61/476,962,filed Apr. 19, 2011, and is a continuation of application Ser. No.13/316,499, filed Dec. 10, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,791,650, which alsoclaims the benefit of Provisional Application No. 61/476,962, filed Apr.19, 2011, and which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.12/278,393, filed Dec. 1, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,115,411, which isthe National Stage of International Application No. PCT/CA2007/000207,filed Feb. 9, 2007, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser.No. 11/351,074, filed Feb. 9, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,307,391.Application Ser. No. 14/445,002, filed Jul. 28, 2014, is also acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 13/316,499, filed Dec. 10,2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,791,650, which claims the benefit ofProvisional Application No. 61/476,962, filed Apr. 19, 2011, and is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/278,393, filed Dec. 1,2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,115,411, which is a national phase theNational Stage of International Application No. PCT/CA2007/000207, filedFeb. 9, 2007, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.11/351,074, filed Feb. 9, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,307,391.

TECHNICAL FIELD

LED lighting control.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally to control LED lights a control signal has to be providedto the lights either through a separated control pin or wire, orwireless technology, or technologies like a signal carrier modulated byvarying a single characteristic, or the LED lights operate in amaster-slave mode. When the LED lights work in master-slave mode the LEDarrays are controlled by the power source directly. For example thepower source's voltage is applied to the LEDs directly, so the LEDs arelit up when the voltage goes up and dim down when the voltage goes down.An example LED Lighting System is shown in published InternationalApplication No. WO200709092.

SUMMARY

An LED lighting system is provided for connection to a variable powersource providing input power, the LED lighting system having at leastone power analyzing and processing circuitry connecting to the variablepower source, and being configured to identify one or morecharacteristics of the input power, where the characteristics areselected from amplitude, frequency and pulse width of the input power,compare one or more of the characteristics of the input power to presetcontrol criteria either in hardware or software or both to yield acomparison result, and then control the current control circuitryaccording to the comparison result.

An LED lighting system for connection to a variable power sourceproviding input power, comprising: a support structure spanning betweena first end and a second end, the support structure made of rigidmaterial, the support structure being sufficiently heat conductive toprovide heat dissipation for the LEDs; an electrical connector forconnection to the variable power source at least at the first end orbetween the first end and second end; at least one LED array extendingalong the support structure; power control circuitry for the at leastone LED array, the power control circuitry being carried by the supportstructure and being in electrical communication with the electricalconnector; a circuit board supporting the at least one LED array, thecorresponding power control circuitry being provided on the circuitboard or on a separate board; the at least one LED array being dividedinto sets of LEDs; the power control circuitry being formed of one ormultiple current controllers, each of the one or multiple currentcontrollers providing current control for a corresponding set of LEDs inthe LED array; and at least one power analyzing and processing circuitryconnecting to the variable power source, and being configured toidentify one or more characteristics of the input power, where thecharacteristics are selected from amplitude, frequency and pulse widthof the input power, compare one or more of the characteristics of theinput power to preset control criteria either in hardware or software orboth to yield a comparison result, and then control the current controlcircuitry according to the comparison result.

An LED lighting system for connection to a variable power sourceproviding input power, comprising: a support structure; an electricalconnector for connection to the variable power source; at least one LEDarray in the support structure; power control circuitry for the at leastone LED array, the power control circuitry being carried by the supportstructure and being in electrical communication with the electricalconnector; a circuit board supporting the at least one LED array, thecorresponding power control circuitry being provided on the circuitboard or on a separate board; the at least one LED array being dividedinto sets of LEDs of same or different colors; the power controlcircuitry being formed of one or multiple current controllers, each ofthe one or multiple current controllers providing current control for acorresponding set of LEDs in the LED array; and at least one poweranalyzing and processing circuitry connecting to the variable powersource, and being configured to identify one or more characteristics ofthe input power, where the characteristics are selected from amplitude,frequency and pulse width of the input power, compare one or more of thecharacteristics of the input power to preset control criteria either inhardware or software or both to yield a comparison result, and thencontrol the current control circuitry providing same or differentcurrent control for a corresponding set of LEDs in the LED arrayaccording to the comparison result.

An LED lighting system is provided for connection to a variable powersource providing input power, the LED lighting system having powercontrol circuitry that in operation connects to the variable powersource, and the power control circuitry being configured to compareinput power to one or more pre-set conditions to yield a comparisonresult and output a control signal according to the comparison result.

An LED lighting system for connection to a variable power sourceproviding input power, comprising: a support structure spanning betweena first end and a second end; at least one LED array extending along thesupport structure; power control circuitry for the at least one LEDarray, the power control circuitry being carried by the supportstructure and being in electrical communication with at least anelectrical connector for connection to the variable power source; andthe power control circuitry being configured to compare input power toone or more pre-set conditions to yield a comparison result and output acontrol signal according to the comparison result.

A method of controlling an LED lighting system, comprising: comparinginput power to one or more pre-set conditions using power controlcircuitry to yield a comparison result; and the power control circuitryoutputting a control signal according to the comparison result.

Controllers connecting to an LED lighting system, the controllers beingconfigured to: provide the output with controllable characteristics, thecharacteristics being selected from the group comprising voltageamplitude, power frequency and pulse width; and detect thecharacteristics change, such as a current change, to identify theworking status of the system to synchronize the control status of themultiple controllers in the system.

An LED lighting system comprising: a support structure; at least one LEDarray in the support structure; power control circuitry for the at leastone LED array; at least one power analyzing and processing circuitryconnecting to the variable power source, and being configured to:identify one or more characteristics of the input power, where thecharacteristics are selected from amplitude, frequency, and pulse widthof the input power, compare one or more of the characteristics of theinput power to preset control criteria either in hardware or software orboth to yield a comparison result, and control the current controlcircuitry providing same or different current control for acorresponding set of LEDs in the at least one LED array according to thecomparison result.

An LED lighting system comprising: a support structure; at least one LEDarray in the support structure; power control circuitry for the at leastone LED array; at least one power analyzing and processing circuitryconnecting to a variable power source, and being configured to: identifyone or more characteristics of the input power, where thecharacteristics are selected from amplitude, frequency, and pulse widthof the input power, compare one or more of the characteristics of theinput power to preset control criteria either in hardware or software orboth to yield a comparison result, and control the current controlcircuitry providing same or different current control for acorresponding set of LEDs in the at least one LED array according to thecomparison result.

In various embodiments, there may be included any one or more of thefollowing features.

Each LED of the at least one LED array has a power rating of no lessthan 0.01 watts. The support structure is generally elongated in a firstdirection; the at least one LED array having a first illumination fielddirected perpendicularly to the first direction; and at least one otherLED array carried by the support structure, the at least one other LEDarray having a second illumination field directed perpendicularly to thefirst direction, the second illumination field being oriented at anon-zero angle to the first illumination field. The first illuminationfield and the second illumination field are oriented at 180 degrees toeach other. The support structure being generally elongated in a firstdirection; and plural other LED arrays carried by the support structure,the plural other LED arrays being oriented to provide an illuminationfield that extends 360 degrees around the support structure at a givendistance outward from the support structure. The support structure has afront side on which the at least one LED array is carried and a rearside on which the power control circuitry is carried. An electricalconnector at a second end of the support structure. The electricalconnectors at each of the first end and the second end of the supportstructure are compatible with fluorescent light receptacle attachmentpins. The onboard current control circuitry is configured to provideconstant current to the LEDs of the LED array. The support structure ismade of a unitary piece of material that is both heat conductive andrigid. An optically transparent or translucent cover secured to thesupport structure over the at least one LED array. The support structureis hollow. The at least one LED array is provided on a front side of thesupport structure and the support structure has a domed shaped rearside. The combination of support structure and optically transparentcover has an egg shaped cross-section. Multiple LED lighting systemsinstalled in a vehicle. The vehicle is a watercraft, aircraft or landvehicle. Multiple LED lighting systems installed in a building or insignage.

The LED lighting system has one or more of a support structure spanningbetween a first end and a second end, the support structure made ofrigid material, the support structure being sufficiently heat conductiveto provide heat dissipation for the LEDs; an electrical connector forconnection to the variable power source at least at the first end orbetween the first end and second end; at least one LED array extendingalong the support structure; power control circuitry for the at leastone LED array, the power control circuitry being carried by the supportstructure and being in electrical communication with the electricalconnector; and a circuit board supporting the at least one LED array,the corresponding power control circuitry being provided on the circuitboard; the at least one LED array being divided into sets of LEDs; thepower control circuitry being formed of one or multiple currentcontrollers, each of the one or multiple current controllers providingcurrent control for a corresponding set of LEDs in the LED array. Insome embodiments, sets of LEDs may be of the same or different colors,and the current control circuitry may provide same or different currentcontrol for a corresponding set of LEDs in the LED array according tothe comparison result.

There may for example be a support structure forming a channel and beingheat conductive and rigid, with one or both ends of the supportstructure having electrical connectors for connection to a power source.An LED array in some embodiments extends along the support structure forexample within the channel, and in some embodiments supported in slots,each LED in the LED array may have in some embodiments a power rating ofgreater than 0.1 watt. The power supply circuitry in some embodiments isprovided by current control circuitry, for example onboard circuitry,carried by the support structure, in some embodiments within thechannel, and may provide current control for individual sets of LEDs.The current control allows careful control of the forward currentpassing through the LED array so that it controls the brightness andheat production by the LEDs. Devices with full 360 degree illuminationare disclosed, along with devices with LEDs having differently angledillumination fields. Various electrical power supplies, structuralsupport configurations and shapes, lens configurations, and overallstructural configurations are also disclosed.

The output signal may be applied to a control circuit to control powerprovided to the at least one LED array according to the comparisonresult. The pre-set conditions may be selected from amplitude, frequencyand pulse width of the input power. In a further embodiment, there isprovided a method of controlling an LED lighting system, comprisingcomparing input power to one or more pre-set conditions using powercontrol circuitry to yield a comparison result; and the power controlcircuitry outputting a control signal according to the comparisonresult. The output signal may be applied to a control circuit to controlpower provided to an array of LEDs according to the comparison result.

Controlling the power provided to the LEDs comprises adjustingbrightness, such as brightening or dimming, and different LEDs may beadjusted differently, so that for example some LEDs may be brightenedand some dimmed.

The output signal is applied to a control circuit to control powerprovided to the at least one LED array according to the comparisonresult. A circuit board supporting the at least one LED array; the atleast one LED array being divided into one or more sets of LEDs; and thepower control circuitry being formed of one or more current controllers,each of the one or multiple current controllers providing currentcontrol for a corresponding set of LEDs in the LED array. The powercontrol circuitry is configured to change state upon a positivecomparison result and output the control signal upon occurrence of thechange of state. The pre-set conditions are selected from amplitude,frequency and pulse width of the input power. Upon the occurrence of thecomparison result, the power control circuitry is configured to send adim signal to the at least one LED array. The control signal isconfigured to instruct LEDs in the at least one LED array to flash. Thecontrol signal comprises a check code. The output signal is applied to acontrol circuit to control power provided to an array of LEDs accordingto the comparison result. The pre-set conditions are selected fromamplitude, frequency and pulse width of the input power. The powercontrol circuitry changing state upon a positive comparison result andoutputting a control signal upon occurrence of the change of state.Controlling current provided to the array of LEDs comprises controllingbrightness of the LEDs. Controlling current provided to the array ofLEDs comprises dimming the LEDs. The control signal instructs LEDs inthe at least one LED array to flash. The control signal comprises acheck code.

One or more controllers, the controllers can control the LED lightingsystem synchronously. At least one controller in the group controllers,the group of controllers can control at least one LED lighting system.The group of controllers can be connected in series or parallel. Thecontroller can be remotely controlled by other controlling systemsthrough networks. The networks can be wired or wireless. The controllercan be installed in the LED system. The controller in the lightingsystem can be mounted at same PCB of the LED lighting system or mountedat another PCB separately. The controller in the lighting system can becommunicated with the LED lighting system by the methods of wired orwireless. The LED lighting system with or without the controller can bemade in different shapes. One or more controllers, the controllers beingconfigured to control the LED lighting system synchronously. A group ofcontrollers, the group of controllers being configured to control atleast one LED lighting system. The group of controllers are connected inseries or parallel. The controller is configured to be remotelycontrolled by one or more other controlling systems through one or morenetworks. The one or more networks are wired or wireless. The controlleris configured to be installed in the LED system. The controller in thelighting system is configured to be mounted to the same PCB of the LEDlighting system or mounted to another PCB separately. The controller inthe lighting system is configured to be communicated with by wired orwireless methods. The LED lighting system made in different shapes.

A command generator for controlling an LED lighting system, the commandgenerator being configured to manipulate multiple characteristics ofpower transmitted to the LED lighting system, the multiplecharacteristics including a frequency of the power and a voltageamplitude of the power, to form commands, each command formed of changesin one or a combination of the multiple characteristics. The power maycomprise a wave, the frequency being a wave frequency. The wave may bean AC power wave. The wave may be a carrier wave superimposed with thepower transmitted to the LED lighting system. The power may comprise DCpulses, the frequency being a pulse frequency. The control system may beconfigured to form multiple commands simultaneously. The commandgenerator may be configured to receive wired or wireless signals fromone or more external interface modules and generate commandscorresponding to the wired or wireless signals. The LED lighting systemmay comprise a functional distribution system connected to a power lineto receive the transmitted power and configured to receive one or morecommands from the command generator over the power line and control oneor more LED drivers in response to the one or more commands. Thefunctional distribution system may be configured to control the one ormore LED drivers in response to the one or more commands to cause theone or more LED drivers to cause LEDs to produce one or more of dimming,brightness changes, color changes, flashing or color temperaturevariations.

A combination of a command generator as described in the previousparagraph and an LED lighting system having a support structure, atleast one LED array in the support structure, at least one electricalconnector for connection to a line carrying the transmitted power, powercontrol circuitry for the at least one LED array, the power controlcircuitry in electrical communication with the electrical connector, andat least one power analyzing and processing circuitry in electricalcommunication with the electrical connector, and being configured to:identify one or more of the multiple characteristics of the transmittedpower, compare one or more of the characteristics of the input power topreset control criteria either in hardware or software or both to yielda comparison result, and control the power control circuitry providingsame or different power control for a corresponding set of LEDs in theat least one LED array according to the comparison result.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

There will now be described embodiments of an LED lighting system, withreference to the drawings, by way of illustration only, in which likenumerals denote elements of the same type but may be different examplesof the same type depending on the figure, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross cut view from inside of single pin type LED lightingsystem;

FIG. 2 is a cross cut view from inside of ‘bi-pin’-two pin type LEDlighting system;

FIG. 3 is a cross cut view from inside single or ‘bi-pin’—two pin typeof LED lighting system showing permanent, for example, rivet or screw,mounting;

FIG. 4 is an end view of single pin type of LED lighting system;

FIG. 5 is an end view of recessed double contact base, two pin type LEDlighting system;

FIG. 6 is an end view of ‘bi-pin’, two pin type LED Lighting Tube;

FIG. 7 is a top view of single pin design, one end cross cut, to viewinterior configuration;

FIG. 8 is a top view of single pin design, with lens;

FIG. 9 is a top view of recessed double contact base-two pin design, oneend cross cut, to view interior configuration;

FIG. 10 is a top view of recessed double contact base-two pin design,with lens;

FIG. 11 is a top view of ‘bi-pin’-two pin design, one end cross cut, toview interior configuration;

FIG. 12 is a top view of ‘bi-pin’-two pin design, with lens;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of single series of electronics (1.5V˜72V)for onboard current control;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of multi series of electronic configuration(1.5V˜72V) for onboard current control;

FIG. 15 is a 3-D view of the LED Lighting tube, without end fittings;

FIG. 16 is a 3-D side view of the LED Lighting tube, without endfittings;

FIG. 17 shows an LED lighting system in a mass-transit application, busshown here for reference purposes, new or retrofit application;

FIG. 18 shows an LED lighting system in a vehicle application, taxi sideview, for taxi advertisement sign;

FIG. 19 shows an LED lighting system in a vehicle application, taxi topview, for taxi advertisement sign;

FIG. 20 shows an LED lighting system in a vehicle application, taxifront view, for taxi advertisement sign;

FIG. 21 shows an LED lighting system in a vehicle application, taxi sideview, for taxi ‘on-duty’ sign;

FIG. 22 shows an LED lighting system in a vehicle application, taxi topview, for taxi ‘on-duty’ sign;

FIG. 23 shows an LED lighting system in a vehicle application, taxifront view, for taxi ‘on-duty’ sign;

FIG. 24 shows an LED lighting system in an airplane application, crosscut view of fuselage;

FIG. 25 shows an LED lighting system in an airplane application, bottomview of fuselage;

FIG. 26 shows an LED lighting system in a mass-transit application,cross cut view of bus;

FIG. 27 shows some examples of lenses for the LED lighting system;

FIG. 28 shows an LED lighting system in a fluorescent lamp, replacement,retrofit, or new installation;

FIG. 29 is a top view of vehicle application LED lighting system,powered end;

FIG. 30 is an end view of vehicle application LED lighting system,powered end;

FIG. 31 is a cross cut view of vehicle application LED lighting system,powered end;

FIG. 32 is a Top view of vehicle application LED lighting system;

FIG. 33 is an End view of vehicle application LED lighting system;

FIG. 34 is a cross cut view of vehicle application of LED lightingsystem;

FIG. 35 is a block diagram of current control electronics for a highvoltage application, single series (73V˜240V);

FIG. 36 is a block diagram of current control electronics for highvoltage application, multiple series (73V˜240V);

FIG. 37 is a signage application, with a view of replacement offluorescent lamps in signage;

FIG. 38 is a cross cut view of an LED lighting system with LED arraysfacing different directions;

FIG. 39 is a view of multiple sections of an LED lighting system withLED arrays facing different directions;

FIG. 40 is a section through an embodiment of an LED lighting systemwith 360 degree coverage;

FIG. 41 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 40;

FIG. 42 is a section through a further embodiment of an LED lightingsystem with 360 degree coverage;

FIG. 43 is a section of an end socket for use with an LED lightingsystem;

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 43;

FIG. 45 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 42;

FIGS. 46-49 are a series of sections of an LED lighting system showinghow various configurations of LED arrays may be carried by a supportstructure;

FIG. 50 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 48;

FIG. 51 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket that may be usedwith the embodiments of for example FIGS. 46-49;

FIG. 52 is a section through an embodiment of an LED lighting systemwith a domed support structure;

FIG. 53 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 52;

FIG. 54 is a section through a further embodiment of an LED lightingsystem with a domed support structure;

FIG. 55 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 54;

FIG. 56 is a section through a further embodiment of an LED lightingsystem with differently angled LED arrays;

FIG. 57 is an exploded view of FIG. 56;

FIG. 58 is a section through a further embodiment of an LED lightingsystem with differently angled LED arrays;

FIGS. 59-65 show a variety of end sockets for use with LED lightingsystems;

FIG. 66 is a section through a further embodiment of an LED lightingsystem with 360 degree coverage;

FIG. 67 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 66; and

FIG. 68 is a block diagram of the main structure of an LED lightingsystem, which has a 2-wire power source and power analyzing andprocessing circuitry;

FIG. 69 is a 3-D view of a LED lighting system with two handles and 3rows of LEDs.

FIG. 70 is a 3-D view of a LED lighting system with two handles and 2rows of LEDs.

FIG. 71 is a 3-D view of a tube LED lighting system, without endfitting;

FIG. 72 is a 3-D view of another embodiment of a tube LED lightingsystem, without end fitting;

FIG. 73 is a 3-D view of a rectangle LED lighting system, without endfitting;

FIG. 74 is a 3-D view of a low-profile LED lighting system, without endfitting;

FIG. 75 is a block diagram of the main structure of an LED lightingsystem, which has a 2-wire power source and power analyzing andprocessing circuitry;

FIG. 75A is a process control diagram illustrating the operation ofpower analyzing and processing circuitry;

FIG. 76 is a 3-D view of a LED lighting system with two handles and 3rows of LEDs.

FIG. 77 is a 3-D view of a LED lighting system with two handles and 2rows of LEDs.

FIG. 78 is a 3-D view of a tube LED lighting system, without endfitting;

FIG. 79 is a 3-D view of another embodiment of a tube LED lightingsystem, without end fitting;

FIG. 80 is a 3-D view of a low profile LED lighting system, without endfitting;

FIG. 81 is a 3-D view of a low-profile LED lighting system, with domecover and without end fitting.

FIG. 82 is a block diagram of a controller for an LED lighting system.

FIG. 83 is a block diagram showing how the controllers of FIG. 82connect to the LED lighting system in series mode.

FIG. 84 is a block diagram showing how the controllers of FIG. 82connect to the LED lighting system in parallel mode.

FIG. 85 is a block diagram showing an embodiment using controllersconnected to a command generator to send commands to a distributionsystem over a power line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this patent document, “comprising” means “including”. In addition, areference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not excludethe possibility that more than one of the element is present. Each oneof the individual features described here may be used in one or moreembodiments and is not, by virtue only of being described here, to beconstrued as essential to all embodiments as defined by the claims.

In FIGS. 1-3, 7-12, there is shown an exemplary LED lighting system 10that includes a plurality of LEDs 100, each LED 100 being supplied powerfrom a circuit board 101 supported by support structure 102. Supportstructure 102 in one embodiment forms a channel and is made of a heatconductive and rigid material, such as aluminum, ceramic or anythermally conductive formable material. In one embodiment, the supportstructure 102 is both heat conductive and rigid and is made of a unitarypiece of material. The support structure 102 is rigid and extends fromend to end of the LED lighting system 10. The heat sink capability maybe continuous from end to end or may be semi-continuous. In the case ofbeing semi-continuous, the material providing the heat sink function mayhave breaks, in which case additional connector material is required toprovide the channel with sufficient rigidity so that the lighting system10 does not collapse or sag under its own weight. The circuitry 20 or 30provide current control for the LED lighting system 10 and are attachedto the support structure 102 permanently such as by fasteners 108 (FIG.3), which may be rivets or screws, so they do not allow for vibration toloosen the connection between the circuit board 101 and the supportstructure 102 over time. The support structure 102 does not requireadhesive or thermally conductive substance to connect to the circuitboard 101. The support structure 102 provides a rigid backbone structureto the LED lighting system 10, and is sufficiently rigid to prevent theLED lighting system 10 to resist or prevent breakage during normal use,or bending, unless the product design requires it. The support structure102 may be provided with a cover 107 secured in a groove 109 that runsalong the inside edge of the support structure walls. The cover 107 istransparent or translucent and may be formed as a lens.

At one or both ends of the support structure 102 there are providedelectrical connectors 103, 105, and 106 for connection of the lightingsystem 10 to a power source. When LED lighting system 10 is configuredas a bulb, rather than as tube, it will typically have connectors onlyat one end. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 4, 7 and 8, a single connector105 of Pin Type 1 is formed in end caps of the support structure 102. Inthe embodiment of FIGS. 2, 5, 6, and 9-12 double connectors 106 of PinType 2, either in the bi-pin format (FIGS. 6, 11 and 12) or the recesseddouble contact type (FIGS. 5, 9 and 10) are formed in end caps 104 ofthe support structure 102. These connectors 105, 106 are of conventionaldesign. The end caps 104 may be any suitable material such as plastic,Lexan™, polycarbonate, acrylic, ABS, metal such as aluminum, copper,brass, stainless steel, metal alloy, combination of metal and plastic,or fiberglass. The end caps 104 may be manufactured in different shapesand sizes, all able to connect to the circuit boards 101 within thesupport structure 102. The end caps 104 encase the channel, are securedagainst movement and do not break with vibration. The end caps 104 alsosecure and prevent movement of the lens 107, 118-127. As with the othercomponents of the lighting system 10, the end caps 104 should be made towithstand high ambient temperatures (up to 125° C.+) and low ambienttemperatures (as low as −40° C.). In the case of use of the LED lightingsystem 10 as a fluorescent light fixture replacement, the connectors105, 106 are conventional pins for attached to fluorescent light fixturereceptacles. In other embodiments, such as when the LED lighting system10 is used in a single socket fixture, the connectors 106 may beprovided at one end only of the support structure 102.

An LED array formed of LEDs 100 extends along the support structurewithin the channel formed by the support structure 102. To providesufficient power to provide light, particularly in an industrial orcommercial environment, each LED 100 in the LED array should have apower rating sufficient to provide the desired degree of light,including in the case of vehicles used for transportation a sufficientdegree of light to meet regulatory requirements. For example, suchrequirements may be met by LEDs having a power rating of greater than0.1 watt, depending on the efficiency of the LED in converting power tolight energy. The LEDs may also be organic LEDs or any other suitableLED now known or later developed.

The circuit boards 101 provide in one embodiment onboard current controlcircuitry for the LED array. The circuit boards 101 are carried by thesupport structure 102 and are in electrical communication with theelectrical connectors 103. 105, 106. The LEDs 100 are preferablyorganized in groups of LEDs, either in series, or parallel. The LEDs maybe surface mounted (SMT) or through hole mounted (TH). The colour of theLEDs can be any available colour such as white, blue, green, red,yellow, amber, purple, pink, or orange.

FIGS. 13 and 14 show circuit diagrams with an example circuit 20 foronboard current control. The circuits of FIGS. 13, 14, 35, 36 may all beplaced on the circuit board or boards 101. FIG. 13 illustrates a singlecircuit 20 connected to a conventional power source 208, while FIG. 14shows multiple circuits 20 in parallel connected to a conventional powersource 208. The circuit boards 101 for the circuits 20 may be made offiberglass based printed circuit board (PCB) or metal based (for exampleAluminum) PCB or any other suitable PCB material now known or laterdeveloped. The circuit boards 101 may be TH type or SMT type.Preferably, the surface of the circuit boards 101 have a white soldermask and exposed areas of tinned plane so as to efficiently reflect themajority of LED light. The circuit boards 101 may be flexible toaccommodate mounting channels and lighting fixtures in different shapesand curves. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the LED array is divided intosets 209 of LEDs, with for example five LEDs per set. As shown in FIG.14, the onboard current control circuitry is formed of multiple circuits20. Each circuit 20 provides current control for a corresponding set 209of LEDs in the LED array.

The onboard current control circuitry 20 is configured to provideconstant current to the LEDs 100 of the LED array 209. A polarityprotection circuit 201 of conventional design safeguards against theuser installing the product in the wrong polarity. Current control isprovided by current control circuit 202, also of conventional design. Asan example, the current control circuit 202 may be use pulse widthmodulation (PWM) to control the current supplied to the LEDs. Thecircuit 202 supplies constant, controlled, current to unit for theentire LED set 209 with information from voltage sensor 203. The voltagesensor 203 receives current information from LEDs 209 and feeds backinformation to the current control circuitry 202. For example, in theuse of PWM, the voltage sensor 203 converts the current of LED array 209to voltage signal and supplies the voltage signal to the current controlcircuit 202. The current control circuit 202 senses how much thedetected voltage varies from the desired level, and by varying the pulsewidth or frequency, changes the current supplied to the LEDs towards thedesired level. The power supply 208 may be AC or DC, although in theexample shown it is DC. Current control provides constant brightness andprevents overheating. A typical pulse frequency for the current controlmay be 200 kHz to 4 MHz. This low voltage application shown hereprovides voltage for applications below about 72 volts.

The organization of the circuit boards 101 is shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.FIG. 15 shows a single set of five LEDs 100 with circuit components 201,202 and 203. FIG. 16 shows an exploded side view of an LED lightingsystem 10, with support structure 102, cover 107 and with LEDs 100,which LEDs may be for example secured or joined to a circuit board 101by any suitable means as for example soldering or heat sink compound117.

FIG. 17 is an example of an LED lighting system or tube 10 in a masstransit application. A transit vehicle has a body or hull 303 with awindshield 300. The break away shows floor 304, with seating 306 andpartitions 305. Lighting tubes 10 may be installed in pre-existingfluorescent light sockets or receptacles 309, with bypassing or removalof the fluorescent light ballasts 308. FIG. 26 is another view of themass transit application, showing also passengers 310 and a readingplane 311 and floor plane 313, which acts as a test zone forestablishing whether the LEDs are providing sufficient illumination.FIGS. 18, 19 and 20 illustrate an application in which the LED lightingsystem 10 is used as part of an advertising sign 401 for a taxi 400.FIGS. 21, 22 and 23 illustrate an application in which the LED lightingsystem 10 is used as part of an on duty sign 404 for a taxi 400. FIGS.24 and 25 illustrate installation of the LED lighting system 10 in newor pre-existing fluorescent light fixtures of an aircraft with afuselage 500, seating 501, windows 502, upper luggage compartment 503,cargo area 504 and floor 505.

In FIGS. 27A-27K, various shapes of cover lens 107 are shown includingmoderate convex 124, straight 107, straight raised 118, asymmetricallypeaked 119 and 120, symmetrically peaked 121, raised dome 122, low dome123, convex 124, depressed low dome 125 raised convex 126, and low domewith channel enclosing 127. FIG. 28 shows a fluorescent lamp fixture 600with power receptacles or sockets 601, conventional ballast 602 for lamp603, replacement LED lighting tube 10, ballast cover 604 and diffuserpanel 605. While the lens 107 is not required for the final assembly itcan be added to act as a guard against vandalism, as a dust/dirt guard,as a light enhancing device, as a light directing/focusing device, as amoisture/waterproofing device (sealing unit completely with the additionof sealant) or as a light diffuser. In FIG. 28, only the lighting tube10 is new. FIG. 37 shows replacement of a fluorescent lamp 603 in adisplay sign application with an LED lighting tube 10 that fits betweenpower receptacles 601. The ballast 602 may be removed or bypassed.

In FIGS. 29-31, powered end of an LED lighting tube for a vehicleapplication includes LED 100 (one of several in the array), supportstructure 102, connecting wires 103 that connect to the circuit board101 and rivets 108 for securing the circuit board 101 on the supportstructure 102. The connecting wires 103 pass through the holes 114 inO-rings 110 that are secured to the upstanding flange of an innermounting bracket 116. The mounting bracket 116 is secured to the supportstructure 102 by a bolt 113 secured with nuts 112 and washer 111. Bolt113 and nuts 112 also secure outer mounting bracket 115 to the supportstructure 102. Rivets 108 also secure the side walls of the mountingbracket 116 to the channel walls of the support structure 102. Mountingbracket 115 is used to connect the LED lighting tube of this embodimentto a structural portion of a vehicle. FIGS. 32-34 show the non-poweredend of the LED lighting system for a vehicle, which is the same as thepowered end except that there are no power connections.

FIG. 35 shows electrical circuitry 30 of an current circuit, and FIG. 36shows several such boards connected in parallel between respective powerbuses. FIGS. 35 and 36 show circuitry for a high voltage power source,above 72 volts, for example 120 volts to 240 volts, either AC or DC. Theexample shown here is for AC power supply. Fuse 215 protects thecircuitry of the board from power surges. The fuse can be permanent orbe a resettable fuse. Bi-directional filter circuit 204 filters outnoise. Full wave rectifier 205 transforms AC current from the power bus(left side of figure) to DC current. The DC current from the full waverectifier 205 is supplied to voltage regulator 207 to step the voltagedown to a low level, for example 5 volts, to power switching powersupply control IC 210. The switching power supply control IC 210provides a modulated signal at about 250 kHz or more that determines theswitching frequency or pulse width of a high voltage switching powerdriver circuit 211. The switching signal from driver 211 drives aprimary coil of transformer 216, and causes DC voltage supplied by thefull wave rectifier 205 to switch at the switching frequency or pulsewidth determined by the control IC 210. Transformer 216 couples thisswitching voltage through half-wave rectifier 206 which also filters thehigh frequency signal from the transformer 216 to the LED array 209 onthe right side of FIG. 35. The half-wave rectifier 206 provides theswitching frequency or pulse width of the current from the secondary ofthe transformer 216 and supplies an isolated feedback signal through asignal feedback circuit 212 to control IC 210. Depending on whether thesensed signal is above or below the desired current level, the controlIC 210 varies the pulse width or pulse frequency of the signal driven bythe driver circuit 211 to ensure a constant average current supplied tothe LEDs. The transformer 216 both isolates input from the output, whichdrives the LEDs, and provides a voltage step down from high voltageabove 72 volts, to low voltage required by the LED array 209. Thecontrol IC 210 may also be configured to vary the average currentsupplied to the LEDs, by suitable controlling the pulse width orfrequency of the drive signal to the circuit 211, and thus provide adimmable controller that can be used to control the brightness of thelighting devices. The switching power supply circuit 30 may be mountedon each circuit board 101, or shared by each of several circuit boards101 and located at one end of the lighting device 10.

The switching power supply circuit 30 is integrated with the LEDs 100 oneach section of printed circuit board 101, so that any defect of eachpower supply circuits or LEDs 100 would not affect the lighting device10 as a whole. The other circuit boards 101 of the lighting device arestill active. The LED lighting device 10 can be installed in polarity orno polarity, and may have any required length. The LED lighting device10 may use voltages from 1.5V˜240V in both DC and AC, and may fitretroactively into existing fluorescent lighting fixtures after removingor bypassing the ballast. This LED lighting device 10 can be areplacement or retrofit for all existing fluorescent lighting tubeslarger than the size of T5.

FIG. 38 and FIG. 39 show two different views of an embodiment of an LEDlighting system in which the LEDs 100 lie on flat PCB heat sinks 134.The LED arrays are attached to the flat PCB heat sinks with each of theLED arrays facing in a different direction. Each LED array contains aseries of LEDs, each with a conical beam, that together create anillumination field. The orientation of the illumination fields of theLED arrays shown in FIGS. 38 and 39 are angularly offset from each otherby 90 degrees. In other embodiments, this angle may change, and/orindividual LEDs may have conical beams that are angularly offset fromeach other. Additional LED arrays may also be provided, with each LEDarray having a differently oriented illumination field. In oneembodiment, the illumination fields of three or more LED arrays maytogether make up a 360 degree pattern. In the embodiment of FIGS. 38 and39, an 180 degree lens 133 with guides is attached to the supportstructure 136 in channel 109, and may slide into place along the channel109. In FIG. 39, two PCB heat sink slots 135 are formed in the supportstructure 136. The heat sinks 134 fit in the slots 135. Heat from theheat sinks 134 is in part conducted to the support structure 136 toassist in heat dissipation. A suitable heat conductive material such asaluminum may be used for the heat sinks 134 and support structure 136.

FIGS. 40 and 41 show a further embodiment of an LED lighting system with360 degree coverage in which the support structure 137 defines twochannels and the LEDs 100 of two LED arrays on circuit boards 101 haveillumination fields at 180 degrees to each other. A double sided lens130 is received in channel 109 in the support structure 137. Grooves 131on the outside of the support structure are provided for receiving amounting clip such as mounting clip 115 shown in FIG. 51. Mounting clip115 has arms 138 with hooks 139 that insert into the grooves 131. Theclip 115 may be secured by any suitable means to the structure 137 suchas a part of the surface to which it is mounted.

FIGS. 42 and 45 show a further embodiment of an LED lighting system with360 degree coverage similar to the design of FIG. 66, but the lenscovers 129 are omitted, and the locking elements 128 are also omitted,the cylindrical lens 127 being used to secure the elements together.

FIGS. 43 and 44 shows an end socket for use with an LED lighting system10 which uses two pins 106 secured within an inner mounting channel 116inside an end cap channel 132. This end socket may be used with thedesigns of hollow support structures (or at least partially hollow) suchas those of FIGS. 42, 45, 66 and 67 with the channel 116 protruding intothe hollow support structure 140 or 147.

FIGS. 46-50 show how various configurations of LED arrays may be carriedby a support structure 141. In these figures, the support structure 141is the same in each case, and may be provided with one or twosemi-cylindrical lenses 133 received in slots 109 running along thelength of the support structure 141. Mounting clip grooves 131 areprovided on the outer sides of the support structure 141. There may beone (FIG. 46), two (FIG. 47), three (FIG. 48) or four (FIG. 49) circuitboards 101 carrying LEDs 100 in linear arrays that may be directlysecured to the support structure 141 or placed on flat PCB heat sinks134 that are received in angled slots 135 running along the length ofthe support structure 141. In this way, the orientation and number ofthe LED arrays can be selected according to the application.

FIGS. 52-55 show a variety of LED lighting systems with a domed supportstructure 142 and 144. A 180 degree lens 143 has guides that arereceived in grooves 109 in the support structure 142 and 144. An LEDarray formed of LEDs 100 on circuit boards 101 in one 180 degreeembodiment (FIG. 52) is received in slots 135 on the front side of thesupport structure, and on the opposite rear side a power supply 30 maybe secured by any suitable means within the domed portion of the supportstructure 142 and 144. In another embodiment (FIG. 54), the LEDs ofrespective circuit boards 101 have illumination fields that are orientedat different angles, though both illumination fields are perpendicularto the direction of elongation of the support structure. The directionof the illumination field is the direction perpendicular to the lightemitting surface of the LEDs 100. The embodiments of FIGS. 52-55 may beconnected to fixtures by end cap channels 132 as for example shown inFIGS. 59-61.

FIGS. 56 and 57 show further embodiments of an LED lighting system withdifferently angled LED arrays. In this embodiment, the support structure145 may be mounted by clips with lips that are received in grooves 131.The embodiment of FIG. 58 is an example of an LED lighting system with360 degree illumination field generated by four LED arrays at angles toeach other, with semi-cylindrical lenses 133, and also that may bemounted on a mounting clip.

FIGS. 62-65 show a variety of end sockets for use with LED lightingsystems, showing support structure 102, end cap 104, pin connector Type1 105, and end cap channel 132.

FIGS. 66 and 67 show an embodiment of an LED lighting system with 360degree coverage. In this embodiment, there are four LED arrays eachsecured to one piece of a two piece hollow support structure 147. Inthis example, the support structure 147 forms four channels at the baseof which circuit boards 101 holding the LEDs 100 are fixed by anysuitable means. The four channels are defined by four arms of thesupport structure 147. Lens covers 129 are received in slots running thelength of the arms and are provided with openings for the LEDs. The LEDsprotrude into the openings. A cylindrical lens 127 surrounds the supportstructure 147. The two pieces of the support structure 147 are heldtogether by locking elements 128.

FIG. 68 illustrates the main structure of a LED lighting systemconnected to a 2-wire power source 217.

A polarity protection circuit 201 of conventional design safeguardsagainst the user installing the product in the wrong polarity.

The power source 217 may be AC or DC. The characteristics of the powersource 217, such as voltage amplitude, power frequency and pulse width,can be adjusted.

The power analyzer and processor 218 connects to the power source 217and analyze the characteristics of power source 217 such as the voltageamplitude, power frequency and pulse width. Then the power analyzer andprocessor 218 compares one or all of these characteristics to the presetcontrol criteria, which could be realized by hardware or software orboth. According to the comparison results, the power analyzer andprocessor 218 controls the current control circuit 202 to adjust thefunction of LED arrays 209.

This method is different from the common ways used for the LED lightingcontrol. Traditionally to control the LED lights a control signal has tobe provided to the lights either through a separated control pin orwire, or wireless technology, or technologies like signal carrier, orthe technology in a master-slave mode. When the LED lights work inmaster-slave mode the LED arrays are controlled by the power sourcedirectly. For example the power source's voltage is applied to the LEDsdirectly, so the LEDs are lit up when the voltage goes up and dim downwhen the voltage goes down. In our invention the power source is notapplied to the LEDs directly. The power source's characteristics, suchas voltage amplitude, will be compared to the preset value. The light iscontrolled according to the comparison results. It is possible the lightis lit up when the input voltage goes down, which is totally differentfrom the traditional way. In this way the LED lights can be moreconveniently controlled by controlling the characteristics of the powersource.

As shown in FIG. 68, the LED array is divided into sets 209 of LEDs, forexample five LEDs per set. The current control circuitry 202 isconfigured to provide constant current to the LEDs 100 of the LED array209. As an example, the current control circuit 202 may use pulse widthmodulation (PWM) to control the current supplied to the LEDs. Thecircuit 202 supplies constant, controlled, current to unit for theentire LED set 209 with information from voltage sensor 203. The voltagesensor 203 receives current information from LEDs 209 and feeds backinformation to the current control circuitry 202. For example, in theuse of PWM, the voltage sensor 203 converts the current of LED array 209to voltage signal and supplies the voltage signal to the current controlcircuit 202. The current control circuit 202 senses how much thedetected voltage varies from the desire varying the pulse width orfrequency, changes the current supplied to the LEDs towards the desiredlevel.

FIG. 69 shows an embodiment of an LED lighting system 10 with twohandles 701. Handles 701 are made of metal and/or plastic materials tohelp the heat dissipation and reduce the shock and vibration. Thecircuit boards 101 are installed on the housing 102. The housing 102 ismade of heat conductive and rigid material. Cover lens 107 is mounted onthe housing 102. It can be transparent or translucent. External lens 702is a tube made of various materials such as Polycarbonate. Mostly theexternal lens 702 is clear. It is used to provide water proof and/oranti-explosion features. In this embodiment three rows of LEDs 100 areinstalled at different angles to provide wider viewing angle. Each rowof the LEDs 100 might have different colors, which can be turned on atthe same time or individually to provide desired features. In anotherembodiment, shown in FIG. 70, the shape of the housing 102 can bechanged to hold one or two rows of LEDs 100 to provide different anglesand functions.

FIG. 71 shows a tube embodiment of an LED lighting system 10. Thehousing 102 is made of heat conductive material. The cross section ofthe housing 102 is a closed half circle. The circuit boards 101 withLEDs 100 are installed on the housing 102. The housing 102 helps todissipate the heat from the circuit board 101. The cover lens 107 is ina shape of half circle to be mounted on the housing 102. The wholeassembly forms a tube like traditional fluorescent light.

FIG. 72 shows another tube embodiment of the LED lighting system 10. Thehousing 102 in this embodiment has a tube shape with an unclosed halfcircle section, so a double-sided circuit board 101 can be installed onthe housing 102. The cover lens 107 has same features as in FIG. 71.

FIG. 73 shows a rectangle embodiment of LED lighting system 10. Thehousing 102 is made of heat conductive and rigid materials. The circuitboards 101 with LEDs 100 are installed on the housing 102. Three rows ofLEDs 100 are installed at different angles to provide wider viewingangle. The cover lens 107 is flat and installed on the housing 102. Thewhole assembly forms a rectangle. This lighting system can be applied inthe recessed lighting applications.

FIG. 74 shows an embodiment of an LED lighting system 10, with housing102, cover lens 107 and with LEDs 100 secured to a circuit board 101.This system has low profile to fit into desired applications.

FIG. 75 illustrates the main structure of a LED lighting systemconnected to a 2-wire power source 217. A polarity protection circuit201 of conventional design safeguards against the user installing theproduct in the wrong polarity. The power source 217 may be AC or DC, andmay be a variable or adjustable power source. The characteristics of thepower source 217, such as voltage amplitude, power frequency and pulsewidth, can be adjusted (varied), such as by operation of a switch (notshown) operating on the power source 217. The power analyzer andprocessor 218, current control 202, polarity protection 201 (if present)and voltage sensor 203 together comprise power control circuitry for theLEDs 100. A single power control circuitry may control one or morearrays 209, through one or more current controls 202 or there may beprovided multiple power control circuits and multiple LED arrays, eachpower control circuit being supplied for a corresponding LED array.

A power analyzer and processor 218 connects to the power source 217 andanalyze the characteristics of power source 217 such as the voltageamplitude, power frequency and pulse width. Then the power analyzer andprocessor 218 compares one or all of these characteristics to presetcontrol criteria, which may be realized by hardware or software or both.According to the comparison results, the power analyzer and processor218 controls the current control circuit 202 to adjust the function ofLED arrays 209.

Referring to FIG. 75A, an example of the functions carried out by theprocessor 218 or power control circuitry is shown. The processor 218 maybe a semiconductor circuit configured by software or firmware or may behardwired. It is preferred that the processor 218 be programmable formaximum flexibility. Input power 217 is supplied to a filter 220. Thefilter 220 smooths the incoming power. The incoming power may be AC orDC and may have irregularities imposed on the signal that may be removedby a low pass filter. The processor 218 is provided with one or morepre-set conditions that are stored in memory, not necessarily in memoryintegrated with the processor 218 but on some accessible storage. Theconditions may be for example in the case of an incoming sine wave, aloss of signal or zero signal for a defined period, such as 200milliseconds. In another example, a change in DC voltage level may be apre-set condition. In another example, a change in frequency may be apre-set condition. In another example, a change in pulse width may be apre-set condition. Any detectable power change may be used as a pre-setcondition. After filtering in step 220, the processor 218 reads thepre-set conditions at 221 and compares the pre-set conditions at step222 with the filtered input. If the filtered input satisfies theconditions (for example a zero signal for 200 ms), then the processor218 changes state such as from a passive state to an active state instep 224 and outputs a control signal at step 226 to the current controlcircuit 202. The control signal may instruct the current control circuit202 for example to increase power supplied to the LEDs 100 (brighten) ordecrease the power (dim) the LEDs, or carry out other functions such asturn off or on some but not others of the LEDs or cause a change ofcolor of the LEDs by turning on or off different colored LEDs. Theprocessor 218 preferably may take as input a signal of any frequency,for example 50 Hz, 60 Hz or 100 Hz to provide greatest flexibility inapplication. Various methods of controlling current may be used and thecurrent control may take various forms, such as disclosed inInternational Publication No. WO200709092, published Aug. 16, 2007. TheLED lighting system may be constructed in various ways, such as shown inFIGS. 76-81, other embodiments of this document, or in some embodimentsas constructed in International Publication No. WO200709092, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference where permittedby law.

This method is different from the common ways used for the LED lightingcontrol. Traditionally to control the LED lights a control signal has tobe provided to the lights either through a separated control pin orwire, or wireless technology, or technologies like signal carrier, orthe technology in a master-slave mode. When the LED lights work inmaster-slave mode the LED arrays are controlled by the power sourcedirectly. For example the power source's voltage is applied to the LEDsdirectly, so the LEDs are lit up when the voltage goes up and dim downwhen the voltage goes down. In the disclosed embodiment, the powersource is not applied to the LEDs directly. The power source'scharacteristics, such as voltage amplitude, will be compared to thepreset value. The light is controlled according to the comparisonresults. It is possible the light is lit up when the input voltage goesdown, which is totally different from the traditional way. In this waythe LED lights can be more conveniently controlled by controlling thecharacteristics of the power source.

As shown in FIG. 75, the LED array is divided into multiple sets 209 ofLEDs (only one is shown), for example five LEDs 100 per set. The currentcontrol circuitry 202 is configured to provide constant current to theLEDs 100 of the LED array 209. As an example, the current controlcircuit 202 may use pulse width modulation (PWM) to control the currentsupplied to the LEDs. The circuit 202 supplies constant, controlled,current to unit for the entire LED set 209 with information from voltagesensor 203. The voltage sensor 203 receives current information fromLEDs 209 and feeds back information to the current control circuitry202. For example, in the use of PWM, the voltage sensor 203 converts thecurrent of LED array 209 to voltage signal and supplies the voltagesignal to the current control circuit 202. The current control circuit202 senses how much the detected voltage varies from the desire varyingthe pulse width or frequency, changes the current supplied to the LEDstowards the desired level.

FIG. 76 shows an embodiment of an LED lighting system 10 with twohandles 701 spanning between respective ends of a housing 102. Handles701 are made of metal and/or plastic materials to help heat dissipationand reduce shock and vibration. Circuit boards 101 carrying the LEDs 100are installed on the housing 102 for example being received inlongitudinal slots that face inward and run along the length of thehousing 102. The power control circuit 218 may be incorporated on thecircuit boards 101 or on separate circuit boards (not shown) installedin the housing. The housing 102 is preferably made of heat conductiveand rigid material and spans between the two handles 701. The housing(support structure) or at least the relevant parts that are in contactwith the LEDs is sufficiently heat conductive to provide heatdissipation for the LEDs. Cover lens 107 is mounted on the housing 102,for example having inward directed edges that are received in outwardfacing slots running along the housing 102. The cover lens 107 may betransparent or translucent. External lens 702 is a tube made of variousmaterials such as Polycarbonate and may be held in place by the handles701. Mostly the external lens 702 is clear. It is used to provide waterproof and/or anti-explosion features. In this embodiment three rows ofLEDs 100 are installed at different angles to provide wider viewingangle. Each row of the LEDs 100 might have different colors, which canbe turned on at the same time or individually to provide desiredfeatures. In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 77, the shape of thehousing 102 can be changed to hold one or two rows of LEDs 100 toprovide different angles and functions.

FIG. 78 shows a tube embodiment of an LED lighting system 10. Thehousing 102 is made of heat conductive material. The cross section ofthe housing 102 is a closed half circle. The circuit boards 101 withLEDs 100 are installed on the housing 102. The housing 102 helps todissipate the heat from the circuit board 101. The cover lens 107 is ina shape of half circle to be mounted on the housing 102 with inwardfacing edges received in outward facing slots of the housing 102. Thewhole assembly forms a tube like a traditional fluorescent light.

FIG. 79 shows another tube embodiment of the LED lighting system 10. Thehousing 102 in this embodiment has a tube shape with an unclosed halfcircle section, so a double-sided circuit board 101 can be installed onthe housing 102 with edges of the circuit board 101 being received ininward facing slots of the housing 102. The cover lens 107 has samefeatures as in FIG. 77.

FIG. 79 shows a rectangle embodiment of LED lighting system 10. Thehousing 102 is made of heat conductive and rigid materials. The circuitboards 101 with LEDs 100 are installed on the housing 102. Three rows ofLEDs 100 are installed at different angles to provide wider viewingangle. The cover lens 107 is flat and installed on the housing 102. Thewhole assembly forms a rectangle. This lighting system can be applied inthe recessed lighting applications.

FIG. 80 shows an embodiment of an LED lighting system 10, with housing102, cover lens 107 and with LEDs 100 secured to a circuit board 101.This system has low profile to fit into desired applications. In FIG.80, the housing 102 has a base portion that is rectangular in sectionwith a flat base and outer walls that are perpendicular to the flatbase. A part of the housing connecting the outer walls above the flatbase is recessed downward to receive the circuit boards 101 within thevolume formed by the flat base and outer walls. The cover 107 in thisexample may be flat. In general, the configuration exemplified by FIG.80 is that in cross-section, the walls of the housing form a polygon,that is not convex and may be open on a side, and the circuit boards arelocated on a recessed or concave portion of the housing. In this way, alow profile of housing may be obtained. In FIG. 81, domed cover 107 isprovided, and the housing 102 holds a circuit board 101 with LEDs 100.The housings 102 in both FIGS. 80 and 81 each have a width and depthperpendicular to the long axis of the respective housings 102, and thewidth (intermediate axis) in each case is more than twice the depth(short axis), for example 3 or 4 times the depth. The LEDs in the system10 as a group have a mean facing direction, defined by considering eachLEDs own facing direction as a vector, summing the vectors and dividingby the number of LEDs. The mean facing direction of the LEDs may beperpendicular to the intermediate and long axes of the housing 102.

In various embodiments, the power control circuitry is formed on thecircuit boards 101 that are carried by the various housings 102 (supportstructures) and are in electrical communication with the electricalconnectors of the power sources 217. The circuit boards 102 support atleast one array of LEDs 100. The at least one LED array may be dividedinto sets of LEDs. The power control circuitry may be formed of one ormultiple current controllers, each of the one or multiple currentcontrollers providing current control for a corresponding set of LEDs inthe LED array. In some embodiments, sets of LEDs may be of the same ordifferent colors, and the current control circuitry may provide same ordifferent current control for a corresponding set of LEDs in the LEDarray according to the comparison result. The housings 102 may formchannels. Each LED in the LED array may have in some embodiments a powerrating of greater than 0.1 or 0.01 watt. The power control circuitry insome embodiments is provided by current control circuitry, for exampleonboard circuitry, carried by the support structure, in some embodimentswithin the channel, and may provide current control for individual setsof LEDs. The current control allows careful control of the forwardcurrent passing through the LED array so that it controls the brightnessand heat production by the LEDs. Devices with a range of illuminationfield are disclosed, along with devices with LEDs having differentlyangled illumination fields. The housings 102 may have a front side onwhich the at least one LED array is carried and a rear side on which thepower control circuitry is carried.

The pre-set conditions may be supplied to the power control circuitry byloading software or replacement or installation of hardware or both. Thepre-set conditions may also be obtained by communication with externalcontrollers, devices or equipment. The output control signal sent by thepower control circuitry to the current control 202 may be used to causethe LEDs 100 to flash at selectable speeds. The output control signalmay also comprise a code sent to an external controller (not shown) ormonitoring system (not shown) for checking on the function of the powercontrol circuitry, the input power 217 or response of the LEDs tocontrol signals. That is, if the LEDs 100 or current control 202 arenon-responsive to a control signal, then an error code may be sent bythe power control circuitry to an external system to notify the externalsystem of a problem. An output control signal sent to an externalcontroller may also specify the comparison result and the nature of theinstruction received from the input power, and this information may beused by external systems for control of other lighting systems inconjunction with the specific set of LEDs 100 being controlled by thepower control circuitry.

Referring to FIG. 82, a block diagram of a controller 800 is shown. Theswitching power unit 802 may be used to convert the line input 806 tothe working voltage of the CPU control unit 804. The current detect unit810 may be used to detect the current change in the system, and providethe detected current value to the CPU control unit 804. The CPU controlunit 804 analyses the current value and provides a control signal to thepower driver unit 808. The line input 806 connects to the power driverunit 808 through the current detect unit 810. The power driver unit 808will adjust the output characteristics, such as voltage amplitude,frequency or pulse width, according to the signal from CPU control unit804 and output on line 814 to the LED lighting system. The line input806 and line output 814 have voltages relative to neutral line 812. Theswitching power unit 802, CPU control unit 804 and power driver unit 808all are connected to the neutral line 812 but these connections are notshown for simplicity.

With the controller design in FIG. 82, a controller 800 can know whatother controllers 800 have done in the system when there are multiplecontrollers in the system. When one controller changes the workingstatus of the system, the current in the system will change. When othercontrollers detect the current change, they will know what othercontrollers have done and know the current system working status and cancontrol the lighting system synchronously without conflicts.

FIG. 84 show a connection method that the controllers 800 connect within parallel, while FIG. 83 shows a connection method where thecontrollers connect in serial. The controllers 800 in FIGS. 82-84 canalso be connected to the intranet or internet network 816 (FIG. 83) andreceive the control information from the network and adjust the outputto the LED lighting system 820 accordingly.

FIG. 82 shows a controller 800 that detects the current change in thesystem. There are other ways to implement the desired functions, such asdetecting the voltage change, frequency change or pulse width change.

The current level in the system reflects different working statuses. Thetable 1 below shows a sample of different current levels at differentstatus. When one controller controls the LED lighting system to changefrom one status to another status, the current in the system willchange. After other controllers detect the current change, thecontrollers will know the lighting system working status. When peopletry to control the light with a different controller, this controllerknows the current working status and will know what the next statusshould be. This technology will help those controllers with a singlebutton to control multiple statuses by pressing the button repeatedly.

For example, controller 1 controls the system to be ‘ON’ with 100%current level. When someone presses controller 2 once, the light changesto ‘DIM 1’ with 50% current level. Without the technology above,controller 1 would not know the status change. If someone wanted tochange the status to ‘DIM 2’ using controller 1, it would change to ‘DIM1’ after pressing the button once because it would still think thesystem is at ‘ON’ status. This would cause the whole system to be messedup.

This technology can be applied to different application, such as abuilding, a shelter, vehicles and ships. It is helpful in theapplications that need multiple controllers to control the same group oflights without adding more control wires. For example, a shelter has sixentrances. The controllers can be installed at every entrance. Sixcontrollers will control the lights in the shelter synchronously.

TABLE 1 STATUS CURRENT LEVEL ON 100%  DIM 1 50% DIM 2 25% OFF  0%

FIG. 85 shows an embodiment of a control system for LEDs. A commandgenerator 900 generates at least one unit of control command or multipleunits of control commands and generates at least one signal on powerline 910 representing the control command or control commands. The powerline 910 may be an AC or DC power line. The command generator 900 mayreceive external power on external power line 912. The signal on powerline 910 may be superimposed on power received from external power line912 or the command generator may produce a new power signal representingthe command. In the latter case the power line 910 need not be the sametype (AC or DC) as the external power line 912. The power line 910 maybe, for example, wiring installed specifically for use by the commandgenerator 900 or previously installed conventional wiring. The signalrepresenting the command or commands may be formed by changes inparameters of the power transmitted on power line 910. The commandgenerator may be configured to manipulate multiple parameters, eachcommand formed by changes in one or a combination of the multipleparameters. The parameters may include frequency of a change of thesignal, and amplitude of the signal or size of a change of amplitude ofthe signal. The change of the signal may be in the form of a wave, thefrequency being a wave frequency, that is, the frequency of the wave.The change of the signal may also be in the form of pulses, thefrequency being a pulse frequency, that is, the frequency of the pulses.“Amplitude” here refers to voltage, current, or a combination of voltageand current. The same or variable frequencies and amplitudes may befrequencies and amplitudes of the power waves of an AC power line or ofa carrier wave applied to an AC or DC power line and coexisting andsuperimposed with the AC or DC voltage and current of the power line. Inthe case of a DC line, commands may also be formed without using a wave,e.g., by changes of the voltage of the DC line.

The command generator may comprise an electronic circuit formanipulating the parameters. The electronic circuit may generatevariable or fixed waves with particular frequencies and amplitudes. Theelectronic circuit may mix waves of different frequencies andamplitudes. The electronic circuit may produce pulsed output ofcontrolled frequency, amplitude and pulse width. Commands may berepresented by variations on a single characteristic or fromcombinations resulting from the variations of multiple characteristicstogether, for example two characteristics or three characteristics.Commands may be represented by a single variation of one or morecharacteristics, or by a sequence of variations or one or morecharacteristics. A sequence of repeating variations may be used torepresent commands; the durations of the repeating signals and timesfrom one repeated signal to the next may vary or stay the same. Thesefeatures and the number of repeats may each be included or not includedin the characteristics that represent the command. The electroniccircuit may apply a signal representing a command in superposition withpower received on external power line 912 and transmitted on power line910. The electronic circuit may create a new power signal on power line910 to represent a command. The power received on external power line912 may be AC or DC.

The commands may be sent simultaneously or one by one. For example, acommand formed using one attribute (e.g., voltage) may be sentsimultaneously with a command formed using another attribute (e.g.,frequency).

One or more external interface modules 902, either wireless or wired,are configured to connect to the lighting control command generator 900;the lighting command generator 900 may generate commands correspondingto wireless or wired signals received from the external module(s) 902.

A functional distribution system 904 in communication with the lightingcontrol command generator 900 may be configured to interconnect with LEDdriver or drivers 906 to manage the status of LEDs 908. The commandgenerator may be a variable power source as described above. Thefunctional distribution system 904 may be for example a power source asdescribed above, and the LED driver(s) 906 may be for example powercontrol circuitry as described above.

The functional distribution system 904 is configured to receive one ormore commands from the command generator 900 via power line 910 and tocontrol LED driver(s) 906 according to the received command or commands.The functional distribution system 904 may control the LED driver(s)906, for example, by the means described above. The functionaldistribution system 904 may control the LED driver(s) 906 in response tothe one or more commands from the command generator to cause the LEDdriver(s) 906 to adjust the LEDs to produce for example dimming,brightness changes, color changes, flashing or color temperaturevariations. The functional distribution system 904 may control the LEDdriver(s) 906 by sending further commands to the LED drivers that maycorrespond directly or indirectly to the commands received by thefunctional distribution system. The LED driver(s) may decode the furthercommands and produce the desired changes to LED output in response tothe further commands.

There may be multiple functional distribution systems 904 connected topower line 910. The command or commands may include common commandsaccepted by all the functional distribution systems connected to thepower line, and may include special commands accepted only by one ormore corresponding functional distribution systems.

The command generator may be used to control any type of LED lightingsource or fixture that includes circuitry to decode the commands and tocontrol the LEDs based on the commands. This may include, for example,linear LED fixtures for replacing linear fluorescent lights, LED lightsfor replacing incandescent or compact fluorescent lights or e.g.,2-dimensional LED displays.

Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described herewithout departing from what is claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combination of an LED lighting system and acommand generator for controlling the LED lighting system, the commandgenerator being configured to manipulate multiple characteristics ofpower transmitted to the LED lighting system, the multiplecharacteristics including a frequency of the power and a voltageamplitude of the power, to form commands, each command formed of changesin one or a combination of the multiple characteristics; and the LEDlighting system comprising: a support structure; at least one LED arrayin the support structure; at least one electrical connector forconnection to a line carrying the transmitted power to provide thetransmitted power as input power to the LED lighting system; powercontrol circuitry for the at least one LED array, the power controlcircuitry in electrical communication with the electrical connector; andat least one power analyzing and processing circuitry in electricalcommunication with the electrical connector, and being configured to:identify one or more of the multiple characteristics of the input power,compare the one or more of the characteristics of the input power topreset control criteria either in hardware or software or both to yielda comparison result, and control the power control circuitry providingsame or different power control for a corresponding set of LEDs in theat least one LED array according to the comparison result.
 2. Thecombination of claim 1, wherein the transmitted power comprises a wave,the frequency being a wave frequency.
 3. The combination of claim 2,wherein the wave is an AC power wave.
 4. The combination of claim 2,wherein the wave is a carrier wave superimposed with the powertransmitted to the LED lighting system.
 5. The combination of claim 1,wherein the transmitted power comprises DC pulses, the frequency being apulse frequency.
 6. The combination of claim 1, wherein the commandgenerator is configured to form multiple commands simultaneously.
 7. Thecombination of claim 1, wherein the command generator is configured toreceive wired or wireless signals from one or more external interfacemodules and generate commands corresponding to the wired or wirelesssignals.
 8. The combination of claim 1, wherein the at least one poweranalyzing and processing circuitry is configured to control the powercontrol circuitry in response to the one or more commands to cause thepower control circuitry to cause LEDs of the corresponding set of LEDsto produce one or more of dimming, brightness changes, color changes,flashing or color temperature variations.